Serious Eats: Recipes
Dinner Tonight: Turnip 'Risotto'
It wasn’t until recently that I realized the term "risotto" could be applied to all sorts of dishes that didn’t have an ounce of rice involved. It’s a liberating idea in theory, but one I haven’t really followed through with in practice. Although I never thought turnips would be the gateway, we actually picked this recipe because of the turnips, not the risotto tag. The fiancée and I just came to the conclusion that we probably hadn’t ever bought turnips before. It was about time.
Halfway through preparing this recipe, I predicted disaster. It didn’t smell that wonderful, and all that oil looked excessive. The resulting dish was a tad heavy, but I suppose that all rice-based risottos are, too. Luscious, warming, and filling probably give a better description. It's yet another Mario Batali
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. He sells wine for a living and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Turnip "Risotto"
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Mario Batali Simple Italian Food
Ingredients
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1 1/2 pounds turnips, cut into 1/8-inch dice
2 cups hot chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Warm the chicken stock in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.
2. Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and turn the heat to medium. Toss in the onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the turnips and cook for 2 minutes. Ladle in some of the hot chicken stock and cook until absorbed. Continue until all of the stock has been added, about 10 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Add the butter and grated cheese stir occasionally for a minute. Remove from the heat, garnish with parsley, and serve.